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About the Name
"Zephyr" means a gentle breeze or a whisper of air. Elijah heard the still, soft voice of God in the gentle breeze and not in the stormy wind, the earthquake or the fire. 1 Kings 19:11-13 To commune in prayer with God in the interior of one's soul and to live in the presence of God is the way of the contemplative lifestyle of the Lay Carmelites who get their inspiration from the Prophet Elijah and the Blessed Virgin Mary. A Lay Carmelite Way of Life
Community Outreach
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About The Founder
Family Life
Suveda Thiagaraj was born on 11 March 1972 in Coimbatore, India. Was baptized and received the sacraments of first communion and confirmation in Our Lady of Fatima Church, Coimbatore, India. Was married in December 1998 but marriage was annulled after her divorce in June 2009. In June 2009 she also started her formation with the local Lay Carmelite Community. She was received and professed into this third order of the Carmelites in May 2012. She lives with her two children in the suburb of Rochester, New York.
Suveda was introduced to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 1990 after her mother was miraculously healed of a brain tumor without medical intervention during a Charismatic retreat conducted by a Jesuit priest Fr. Francis Rebello in Westbrook, Kotagiri, India. This was a kairos moment for the entire family.
Suveda was a religious education teacher for elementary school children her local church communities for 2 years in India and for about 6 years in the United States. She has facilitated and led several bible study groups, workshops and seminars in her local church communities. She was the Provincial Coordinator for the Lay Carmelites of the North American Province of Saint Elias in 2023-Aug-2024 and was the Formation Directress for the Lay Carmelites for Rochester for six years and also their Newsletter editor and publisher. Suveda has made self-directed pilgrimages to Holyland (Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt ), France (Lourdes, Paris, Nevers, Reims),Canada (Oratory of Saint Joseph, Montreal) and various shrine of her native land India. She has also been on pilgrimages to Medjugorje two times.
Education and Career
Suveda was educated by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary at St. Joseph's Matriculation School and the Presentation Sisters at Nirmala college where she completed her Bachelors in Mathematics and was unanimously elected as the Head Girl to represent the student body in her final year. She completed her Bachelors in Education and also obtained a Masters degree from Regional Engineering College n.k.a. National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. After her graduation she worked as a Senior Officer in the Information Technology Department at SRF Ltd., Manali, India. In 1997 she migrated to the United States of America and worked at Xerox Corporation performing numerous roles with increasing responsibilities within Xerox Information Management starting as a software developer and became a Senior Manager in 2010 and remained in that position until December 2018.
In July 2019 Suveda founded the Zephyr Lay Carmelite Mission Inc. a Catholic non-profit that seeks to positively impact the lives of those who are in need of prayer support and those who are seeking to deepen their faith life and to develop their relationship with God. You can read more about Zephyr here http://www.myzephyronline.org/about.html.
